Editorial: Local officials speaking out on federal gun laws

After the December shooting massacre that killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, local governments in Southern California are showing fresh interest in gun control at the federal level.

The Ventura City Council, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted last week to support restoring a federal ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. A similar resolution was introduced in the Los Angeles City Council and awaits action.

Cities and counties have good reasons for speaking out on this issue, notwithstanding The Star's usual disapproval of cities and counties weighing in on international and national matters far beyond their authority.

In this instance, the potential local effects are inescapable. Effective firearm regulations, or the lack of them, can have dramatic consequences for a community's residents, taxpayer-funded police and sheriff's departments, other first-responder agencies and local public safety in general.

Following the Newtown, Conn., shooting rampage, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said she plans to introduce legislation to reinstate the federal ban on assault weapons that was passed in 1994 and expired in 2004. She also intends to introduce legislation to restrict sales of ammunition clips that hold more than 10 rounds.

Those are among the gun measures that have been receiving support from local governments in recent days.

California has strong gun-control laws but some other states have far weaker rules on semi-automatic guns and large ammunition clips, which easily can be transported here. A federal policy could help by reducing the risk to California residents and law-enforcement personnel.

So it was understandable that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, in addition to endorsing Sen. Feinstein's efforts, asked all 88 cities in that county to consider expressing their agreement, too.

Likewise, the Ventura City Council logically supported the measures and appropriately called for more to be done to help people with mental-health issues.

Meanwhile, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors endorsed the legislation and voted to find out whether anything can be done to ensure that the Sheriff's Office knows if gun-permit applicants have a history of violence.

These issues merit thoughtful discussion at the national, state and — yes — local levels. If a consensus emerges on how best to deal with gun violence, everyone stands to benefit.